Chapter Nineteen
“Auntie Royce! Where are you? I need extra money today. Auntie!”
Royce stirred from her sleep when she heard Tyler bouncing down the stairs and yelling through the house. She suddenly remembered where she was and that she wasn’t alone. Father Gregory was sleeping and snoring lightly on the blanket beside her. Thank God he was fully dressed. They’d chosen not to make love the night before. Instead, they’d sipped wine and talked until sleep overtook them. In a way, a night of sharing their feelings, desires, and ideas had been more intimate than sex.
Royce hurried to the mantle and blew out the candles. Darkness swallowed the room. She returned to the blanket and knelt down. Pressing her lips to Father Gregory’s ear, she whispered, “Tyler is awake. Stay here and don’t make a sound. I’ll be right back.”
He reached up and stroked the side of her face and nodded.
Royce stepped outside the double glass doors and stumbled over Father Gregory’s black running shoes. She snatched them up quickly and tossed them inside the living room and shut the doors. Tyler was in the kitchen. She could hear him opening and closing cabinets. Royce composed herself and walked down the hall.
“What’s up, Auntie?”
“Good morning, sweetie. How did you sleep last night?”
“I was tired. My body and my brain went on strike as soon as my head hit the pillow. What about you? How did you sleep, Auntie?”
“I slept like a baby, sweet pea. Come upstairs when you finish eating your cereal. I’ll give you the extra money you were screaming your head off about.”
* * *
“That was close, Royce.” Father Gregory embraced her from behind and kissed the back of her neck seconds after she closed the front door.
“It would’ve been a disaster if Tyler had caught you here. Thank God I was able to think fast. Let’s go to the kitchen so I can feed you before you leave to start your day.”
“I’m sorry, but I don’t have time. I have a nine o’clock appointment at the church.”
Royce turned around in his arms to face him. “When will I see you again?”
“I could come here tonight.”
“I would like that.”
He lifted the diamond-filled pendant from her chest. “I’ll call you when I’m five minutes away.”
“I’ll be waiting.”
Father Gregory leaned in, placed a chaste kiss on Royce’s lips, and left.
* * *
“Father, I did not come today to confess any sin. I want you to know that I have spent time with my lover, but we did not yield to temptation. God is good.”
“Indeed He is,” Father Kyle agreed. However, he was a bit worried about the young man on the other side of the confessional. He sounded as if he truly believed his troubles with fornication were behind him. Unfortunately, he was sadly mistaken. There would be temptation as long as he loved the woman he was involved with and they still had not married. “I am happy that you were not consumed by your flesh. But what do you suppose will happen the next time you are in the presence of your beloved? Are you now immune to your attraction to her? Has your sexual appetite for her miraculously disappeared?”
“No, it hasn’t, but we’ve made an agreement. We can love each other without having a physical relationship. Although I’m not proud to confess this, we slept together last night. But nothing happened. We held each other and talked, but we did not fornicate.”
“Did you desire to be intimate with her?”
“Of course, but I didn’t have sex with her. We abstained. Isn’t that wonderful?”
“I must admit that was a great spiritual accomplishment, but it was also very foolish of you, my son. You tempted yourself. Only an unwise man would place himself in the path of lust and destruction. God had mercy on you, but He will not rescue you the next time you take fire into your bosom. If you walk upon hot coals, your feet will be burned. If you wish to be free of sexual sin, my advice to you is to do away with this woman once and for all or marry her.”
“I can’t live without her. I won’t live without her.”
“Then marry her or perish.”
Father Gregory left the confessional abruptly, slamming the door behind him. He was very angry with Father Kyle and shocked by his straightforwardness. Deep in his heart, he knew that the older priest was right, but he didn’t want to receive his spiritual wisdom or advice on the matter. Looking back on the time he’d spent with Royce last night, he now realized that he had acted foolishly. Yet he was very much pleased with himself for not making love to her like he’d so desperately wanted to. He was certain that God was happy with him for practicing self-control. So, why had Father Kyle been so cynical?
Father Gregory hopped on his Harley and sped away from the church. He didn’t want to think about Father Kyle and his warnings. What did he know about women anyway? He was just some miserable, old dude bound by the traditions of the Roman Catholic Church to live an empty and boring life without the love of a woman. It wasn’t fair or natural, and it wasn’t the kind of life he wanted to live. Father Gregory wanted Royce, and it pained him to imagine living without her.
“God help me,” he whispered as the wind blew in his face. He whipped around a curve with visions of Royce’s smiling face flashing in his memory.
She was so beautiful and kind. He loved her, and that was all there was to it.
* * *
“Are you sure you don’t want me to come? I’ll be extra careful and quiet. We won’t get caught.”
“It’s not a good idea. I just don’t feel comfortable with you visiting while Rico is here. He’s like a nephew to me. He roams around the house freely just like Tyler. Can you imagine what would happen if he got up in the middle of the night to go to the kitchen to get something to drink and found you here?”
Father Gregory tossed the scene around in his head a few times. “We would have a lot of explaining to do.”
“Correct. That’s why we can’t risk it. We can hook up this weekend. Glenda will return from her business trip Thursday night. She wants Tyler to come over after school Friday. He’ll be there until Sunday evening.”
There was a knock at Father Gregory’s office door. He covered the mouthpiece of the phone with his hand. “Come in.”
Sister Ellen Marie walked in smiling and carrying a stack of mail in her hands. She stood in the middle of the floor, facing his desk.
“I need to take care of something right now. I’ll call you as soon as I get home.”
* * *
“Have a good weekend, Tabatha. And please don’t call me unless there’s an emergency.”
“I won’t, boss lady. I’ll have everything under control.”
Royce strolled out into the parking lot with pep in her step and a smile on her face. Tyler was spending the weekend with Rico and his mother, and she would have the house to herself. Last night during their pillow-time phone chat, Father Gregory had promised to visit her at eight o’clock sharp. The thought of spending time with him alone gave Royce an adrenaline rush. By the time she reached her designated parking space, she was humming an oldie but goodie R&B hit by the O’Jays. It was a love ballad that her Uncle Duke used to play on the stereo and sing loud and off-key whenever he’d drunk too much whiskey back in the day. The song perfectly described Royce’s situation with Father Gregory. He definitely had his hooks in her.
He’d promised her an unforgettable weekend, and she was looking forward to every minute of it. Royce got inside her luxury SUV and peeled out of the parking lot, humming and counting down the hours until her date. That morning before leaving the house for the office, she’d selected the perfect outfit to wear and decided to order Caribbean cuisine from Masai’s on Peachtree. All of their delivery guys knew her well. One of the gentlemen would arrive at her house within an hour after she’d placed her order, and the food would be piping hot.
The only item Royce needed to pick up on her way home was a bottle of wine. She and Father Gregory had finished the entire bottle the other night while they talked about their families, friends, and futures. Royce had enjoyed their conversation, but she’d wanted him to make love to her. Strangely, he didn’t put the moves on her, though. He’d kissed her lips often and embraced her, but nothing else. His actions or lack thereof had surprised her. She had agreed that they would practice abstinence, but she never expected them to really discontinue their sexual relationship. It wasn’t possible as far as she was concerned. By some miracle, they had stuck to the plan the other night, but Royce wasn’t interested in a repeat performance tonight at all. She wanted to be loved, and she refused to be denied.